INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“A breathless page-turner, driven by the many revelations Ms. Harper dreams up…You’ll love [her] sleight of hand…A secret on every page.” —The New York Times

“One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read… Every word is near perfect.” —David BaldacciA small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.

After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.

Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there’s more to Luke’s death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of January 2017: I was surprised to realize that The Dry was Jane Harper's debut novel. The writing is fantastic, and the plot - where many mystery/thrillers fall short these days - was completely unpredictable in the best ways possible. Federal Agent, Aaron Faulk, returns to his hometown in Australia to mourn, and inevitably investigate, his best friend's apparent suicide. What comes next is a series of twists and turns that will keep you guessing all the way until the end. I repeatedly found myself shocked and pulled in by Harper's fast paced and engrossing writing. Truly a fantastic read and hopefully the first of many to come from Ms. Harper. --Penny Mann, The Amazon Book Review

Review

"One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read. I could feel the searing heat of the Australia setting. Every word is near perfect. The story builds like a wave seeking the purchase of earth before it crashes down and wipes out everything you might have thought about this enthralling tale. Read it!" —David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Guilty

"With The Dry, Jane Harper immediately takes her place among the elites in the mystery world. If this book doesn't garner an Edgar (Best First Novel) or two (Best Novel), there is no justice. Terrific characters, unique and evocative setting, knockout plot construction. This book has it all." —John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Fall

"It’s extremely rare and exciting to read a debut that enthralls from the very first page and then absolutely sticks the landing. Told with heart and guts and an authentic sense of place that simply cannot be faked, The Dry is the debut of the year.” —C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Off The Grid

"Every so often a debut novel arrives that is so tightly woven and compelling it seems the work of a novelist in her prime. That's what Jane Harper has given us with The Dry, a story so true to setting and tone it seemed I fell asleep in Virginia only to wake in Australian heat. It's rare, that sense of transportation, and I loved every minute of it. Thank you, Jane Harper." —John Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Redemption Road

“You will feel the heat, taste the dust and blink into the glare. The Dry is a wonderful crime novel that shines a light into the darkest corner of a sunburnt country.” —Michael Robotham, New York Times bestselling author of Life or Death

Top customer reviews

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Overnight I finished Jane Harper’s novel - a story I found difficult to put down until I reached the last page. For a first novel it is outstanding. The author writes in beautiful, descriptive language and, at the same time, keeps socking the reader between the eyes with the revelations that unfold in this terrible story of a brutal family murder in an outback country town - a town that seeps with anger, bitterness, violence, oppressive heat and blow-flies.

As a reader I came to feel either a strong affinity or hate/anger towards each character. It’s that kind of book. The characters are developed so well that I am still thinking about them as real people as I write this review.

I appreciated the details of country life and the little things described that only people who have lived in small Australian outback towns can fully appreciate.

The complexity of the story - the “whodunit?” builds almost to screaming level by the time the truth starts to emerge. Beyond solving the brutal murder of three family members, we become immersed in other powerful stories from twenty years back that could be linked with the current crime. Or are they?

This is a five out of five novel for me and I’ll certainly be looking out for Jane Harper’s future novels.

This debut effort by Jane Harper has been lauded as nearly perfect. And critics are nearly correct. The novel is as close to perfect as one can get in terms of plotting, character, and setting. Truly, it is a wonder to read (and I DO recommend you read it!). So why 4 stars instead of 5? I'll get to that in a moment.

The story is set in a small rural town in Australia (wonderfully described....feels like you are there), Federal Agent Falk returns from his job in Melbourne to his hometown for the funeral of his childhood best friend, now dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after killing his wife and young child (leaving their infant alive, though). Small towns usually contain small minds and judgement has been passed. It's not comfortable. So it's with considerable trepidation that Falk agrees to a request from the deceased's parents to look a little closer into the deaths. This present-day mystery is cleverly woven with the last questionable death that occurred in the community decades earlier, one that Falk was suspected of contributing to.

As you may have seen from my status updates, I did NOT guess the culprit until revelation was imminent in the story. And that is a very good thing (who likes a mystery where you've known whodunit for hundreds of pages before it's revealed?). Just about everything about this novel was a very good thing. Which brings us back to my 4 stars rather than 5. I deducted one star simply because in 3 or 4 months, I probably won't remember the plot or characters. Some books - even if they aren't technically perfect - just have soul. They resonate with you. You remember them years after you turned the last page and still grab them for re-reads. The Dry just wasn't one of those books.

I still recommend it (highly) because of the enjoyable experience of the actual read. And you might experience more "soul" in it than I did.

Aaron Falk is an Australian Federal Policeman, working in the financial investigations division and lives in Melbourne.

He gets a note that ends up bringing him back to the small outback farming/sheep ranching community he grew up in. His best friend from his younger years and most of the man's family have been brutally killed and it looks like his friend might have done it.

There are two stories told in this book - the murders of the family and the death of another of Falk's friends when they were teenagers - and Falk was actually suspected of killing the teen.

This is a very small community caught in the middle of a two year drought and scorching hot weather. It takes very little for tempers to flare.

I liked this story. I do feel it was a bit bloated and would have been an even better book with about a third less pages but it was still suspenseful and I was intrigued about the details of Australia.

The author did a good job telling the concurrent stories and I was actually surprised about how each story resolved itself.

I highly recommend this for mystery fans or people that like to read about Australia. This is actually the first book in the Aaron Falk series and I'm now off to read book two FORCE OF NATURE.

An excellent book that weaves two mysteries into one. Aaron Falk returns to his hometown after a long absence. He has history there, not all of it good. A cloud of suspicion hangs over his head regarding the murder of a girl he knew as a teenager. It’s never truly been discovered how Ellie Deacon died.

Now, another of Falk’s friends has passed away. Luke Hadler is dead of an apparent suicide after murdering his wife and young son. Falk gets roped into investigating the deaths at the request of local law enforcement. His presence in the town and a rural farming community suffering from severe drought resurrect questions about the past. The more he digs into the Hadler family deaths, the more Falk is drawn into questioning what really happened twenty years ago when Ellie Deacon died.

The Hadler family murders are front and center throughout the story, but I loved the inclusion of the past mystery as well. Both are handled effectively. The writing is crisp and the pacing excellent. The collection of characters and possible suspects kept me guessing and flipping pages. I will definitely look for more from this author.